Cork-feeding device



T. ALLATT.

CORK FEEDING DEVICE. APPLICATION FIYLEVD 'APR. 27, 1920.

Patented Nov. 1, 1921.

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CORK FEEDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 27. 1920.

1,395,248. Patented Nov; 1, 1921.

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coax FEEDING DEV-ICE.

APPLICATION HLED APR. 27, I920.

- Patented Nov. 1, 1921.

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CORK FEEDING DEVICE.

APPLICATIQN FILED APR-27, I920.

,395,248. Patented 1w. 1, 1921.

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@23 /& abiliovnm I avwawto c UNITED STATES, PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS ALLAT'I, OF WESTFIELD, NEWJERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO INTERNATIONAL CORK COMPANY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

CORK-FEEDING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 1, 1921.

Application filed April 27, 1920. Serial No. 377,010.

' and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cork- Feeding Devices, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to cork feeding devices, designed to feed, to cork tapering machines, fiat corks, or in other words corks having each a height that is smaller than their diameter.

The main object of the present invention is to provide a controlling device between a hopper and chute, which permits the corks to roll down said chute in a single row only, one on top of another, within the reach of a mechanism, presenting the same to the cutting device of the tapering machine.

nother object of the invention is to make the chute of the feeding device adjustable, according to the sizes of the corks to be fed. V

A further object of the invention is to so mount part of the controlling mechanism on the hopper, that it can be conveniently adjusted in relation to the outlet thereof, according to the size of the corks contained in the hopper.

A still further object of the invention is to construct a cork feeding device of the character described, which is simple in construction, eflicient in operation and which functions entirely automatically.

With these and other objects in View, which will more fully appear as the nature of the invention-is better understood, the

same consists in the combination, arrangement and construction of parts hereinafter dcscrlbed, pointed out in the apended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that many changes may be made in the size and proport1on of the several parts and details of construuztion within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention. I

One of the many possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which igure 1 is a front elevation of a cork feeding device constructed in accordance with the present invention, shown applied to a tapering machineyFig. 2 is a section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 33 of Fig. 2, on a larger scale; Fig. 4 is' a perspective view of an agitating element employed on the hopper; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a portion of a. chute constructed in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 6 is a section taken on line 66 of Fig. 5; Fig. 7 is a section taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 5;

and Fig. 8 is a section taken on line 8*8 of Fig. 5. p

In the drawings, the numeral 10 in'l cates the frame of a cork tapering machine, on which is mounted a rotary knife 11., the fiat corks being held between gripping members 12 and 13, to which they are presented by an oscillating body 14. Onto this oscillating body the corks are fed from a hopper 15, into which they are placed indiscriminately, and forwardedinto a chute 16. This chute terminates a substantial distance sion is stationary, it being fixed to the hop per bottom, while the oppositeside 22, that extends in parallel relation to the side 21, is movable in relation to the said stationary side, it being secured to plate members 23,

any suit- 1 which are each provided withahorizontal slot 24, through which extend clamping screws 25, passing into the front and rear walls 26 a of the'said extension. In the plates 28 are rotatably mounted the journals 27 ofa horizontally extending roller 28, that projects through an opening 29 in the-side wall 22 into the extension 20. This roller extends throughout the length of the extension, as V I clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, it being provided with peripheral grooves 30,

in which are seated teeth 3l"on the side 22 of the extension, the upper ends ofthe said teeth being disposed in a horizontal plane a sin "through the longitudillfel' ax s 01 the said roller. This ;-r0ller rotates in the direction of the arrow shown in Figs. 1 and The extension terminates in a passage 34,

communicating with the chute 16. Below the roller 28, there projects into the extension a horizontally disposed roller 35, its longitudinal axis extending at right angles to the axis of the roller 28. The roller is journaled in the side wall 21 of the extension and is driven from one of the journals 01" the roller 28, the said journal being provided for this purpose with apulley 36, over which runs a belt 37, the latter running also over a pulley 38 on the roller 35. Guide pulleys 39 are provided, to keep the belt properly on the pulleys 36 and 38. The roller 35 rotates in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, it

determining, with a movable section 40 on.

the front wall of the extension 20, the width of the passage 34 The movable portion 40 is, preferably, pivoted at 41 to the side wall 21 of the said extension, its lower end being held in fixed position by a clampingscrew 42, that passes through a slot 43 in the said movableportion into the side 21 of the extension.

The

passage communicates, as above stated, with the chute 16. This chute slants toward the oscillating body 14, and is made up of two spaced parallel vertical sides .44 and 45, a bottom 46 and atop 47. The side 44 and top 47 are made of oneintegral piece,

in the form of an angle iron, that is fixed to the sidewall 21 of the extension 20. The bottom 46 is adjustable in relation to the fixed top '47, it being provided with lugs 48, that abut against the side 44, said lugs being each provided with a slot 49, through which extends a clamping screw 50, the screws passing into theside 44. The side wall 45 of the chute is made up of two spaced angle irons 51, connected by links 52, which permit the distance between the said two angle irons to be varied, at will. .The side 45, as a whole," is shiftablein relation to the side 44, for,

which purpose one of its angle irons carries clamping screws 53, that extend through slots 54 in lugs 55 on the bottom 46 of the chute. 'The slots 49in the lugs 48extendv parallel to the side 440i the chute, and the slots .54 in the lugs 55 in parallel relation to the bottomi46 of the chute, allot the said slots running at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the chute. j. Part of the sidewall 22, below the, roller hopperfthere extends through a slot 58' therein a curved plate member 58, having a roughened upper surface, as clearly shown at 59. This plate forms part of a cylindrical surface, adapted to rest against a curved portion. 60 on the hopper bottom. The plate member 58 is fixed to an arm 61, that is pivoted at 62 to a bracket 63, the latter being attached to the sidewall 21 of the extension 20, To the pivoted end of the arm 61 is fixed a bar 64, that engages with. a roller 65 upon a crank arm 66. This crank arm-is keyed, or otherwise fixed, to one of the journals ofthe roller 28. A spring 6'7, secured to the arm 61 and to the extension 20, serves to move the saidarm toward the hopper bottom.

'The operation of this device is as follows :-A mass of corks, to be fed to the tapering machine, is placed into the hop This door is shifted tance between the last-mentioned side and the stationary side 21 of the extension is slightly larger than the thickness of a flat cork. The said set screws are then screwed up to hold the movable side and roller 28 in the adjusted position. The chute 16 is 'adjusted so that the distance between its bot-.

tom and top is slightly larger than the diameter of an individual cork, and the distance between its sides is slightly larger Themovable than the thickness of a cork. section 40 of thepassage 34 is, of course, adjusted so that an individual corkcan pass through the saidpassa-ge.

By imparting rotation to the pulley'32,

the rollers 28 and 35 are rotated and the findtheir wayinto that part or the extension 20, which is disposed'below the'teeth 31 on the vertical side 22 of said extension.

In this part of the extension, the'corks rest" oneon top of another with'their fiat ends against the sides of the extension. The roller 35 prevents a blocking of the passage 34,- in that it continuouslyagitates the corks that have been previously arranged by the roller 28, allowing them to pass singly through the said passage into the chutes 16, on which they slide down onto the oscillating body 14, the latter presenting them to the gripping members 12.

From the foregoing it appears that the corks, in passing from the hopper into the chute, are first arranged in a single plane, more particularly in a vertical plane, and then agitated and controlled so that they pass in file into a passage, in registering position with the chute.

The side 45 of the chute is made of two sections, that is to say angle irons 51, in order to permit the width of this side to be varied according to the requirements. At the same time, this construction of the said side permits of an inspection of the corks, as they pass through the chute.

V hat I claim is 1. A feeding device for fiat corks, including a hopper having a discharge opening, an extension communicating with said discharge opening having an outlet passage, a roller projecting into said extension for arranging the corks therein in a single plane, and means for causing the corks to pass in file into said passage, the size of said extension and its outlet passage being adjustable and the position of said roller in relation to a fixed portion of said extension being variable. 2. A feeding device for fiat corks, includ ing a hopper having a discharge opening, an extension communicating with said discharge opening having an outlet passage, a roller projecting into said extension for arranging the corks therein in a single plane, and a roller also projecting into said extension for causing the corks to pass in file into said passage, said rollers moving in a direction opposite to the direction of move ment of the corks through said extension.

3. A feeding device for fiat corks, including a hopper having a discharge opening, an extension communicating with said discharge opening having an outlet passage, a roller projecting into said extension for arranging the corks therein in a single plane, and a roller also projecting into said extension for causing the corks to pass in file into said passage, said two rollers being disposed one above the other and their longitudinal axes being arranged at right angles to each other, said rollers moving in a direction opposite to the direction of movement ofthe corks through said extension.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 29th day of December, 1919.

THOMAS ALLATT. 

